The Asterothain
by Atlantis Blakes
Summary: The War with Voldemort ensues and around Harry are thousands of changes. The Order of the Phoenix is reunited like it's never been before but this whole thing keeps getting stickier. SPOILERS! Please review! PG for mild language.
1. What He Saw in the Mirror

**The Asterothain **

Disclaimer: All of the Harry Potter stuff belongs to J.K. Rowling.

A/N: Strange basis for a story, but I just had to do it. Not OotP compatible because I couldn't bear the ending, but I kind of made it make sense… I guess.

_What He Saw in the Mirror _

Harry struggled angrily to get his mattress back into the cupboard under the stairs. He didn't know what he had done, or rather, what the Dursleys thought he had done, but they were putting him back in the cupboard. Harry kept pushing and pushing but no matter how hard he tried it never went in. It did, however, become very bent and when he stopped to rest he looked at its mutated springs.

"That won't be comfortable tonight," he said with a heavy sigh.

Dudley came waddling down the stairs and pushed the mattress back out of the cupboard so he could get into the kitchen. Harry groaned. He turned the mattress to make it cover up the door and ran at it. The entire thing fell in through the portal; the only downside was that he had to get it to lie flat now. It looked like a banana the way that it bent upward at both ends… no, it was worse than that.

The Boy Who Lived decided to give up for now. Petunia called him to the kitchen and shoved a plate of food into his hands. "Maybe you can at _least _eat food right."

She sat down at the table where Uncle Vernon and Dudley already sat. Harry pulled out a chair, but Vernon interrupted him-- "What do you think you're doing?"

"Taking a seat," Harry answered confusedly.

"No you don't. You get to your cupboard to eat." Vernon's purple face grimaced at the scowl Harry now wore on his face.

Harry pushed the chair back in frustration and walked out of the kitchen. On his way out he heard Vernon mutter, "Crazier than both his parents… you'd think he owned the place, the way he acts."

Harry Potter fell back on his banana mattress to eat his dinner of english peas, turkey, and a baked potato. As he thought about what Uncle Vernon had said, he drifted into a daydream about his parents. He started to wonder what they were like; what would it be like living with _them_?

Someone knocked on the door. Harry heard Vernon squeeze through the hallway to answer, heard the door open, then, curiously, he heard it slam. Vernon squeezed back through the hall muttering, "Damn imagination."

After he was sure Vernon was back in the kitchen, Harry looked out the cupboard door. The front door was shut. Harry watched it steadily, expecting something he wouldn't understand. The doorknob began to turn and in a few seconds it was coming into the hallway, opening the door to reveal something that Harry just couldn't believe. He shut the cupboard door and heard two pairs of feet walking to the kitchen.

The kitchen door opened and then closed. Muffled voices could be heard but not made out. Then Harry could hear them clearly. "WHERE'S OUR SON? WHERE IS HE, VERNON?"

Vernon replied with an almost inaudible whimper. Harry gathered all his courage and bravely walked out of the cupboard. He walked down the hall himself and flung open the kitchen door. "I'm right here," he said to Lily and James Potter. Looking at them was strange, not only because he had never seen them in person, but because there was some strange air about them that he couldn't comprehend quite yet. Assuming that he would understand everything later, Harry stood with full confidence in himself.

Vernon whimpered from across the kitchen as he cowered next to the stove. "Look, I don't know how this is happening, but--"

"You don't need to understand it, Vernon," said Lily icily. "You shouldn't care anyway, after sticking poor Harry in a cupboard!"

Harry looked up at his father. James cracked a tiny smile at Lily's severity, then turned to his son with a small twinkle in his eyes. "C'mon, Harry, we'll explain everything on the way."

"On the way to where?" He couldn't believe what he was seeing. As he held the side of his pants to keep from shaking in wonder, he pinched his leg just to make sure it wasn't a dream, that his parents really were standing before him.

"Godric's Hollow; we're going home."

Harry looked at him in amazement. "Home…. It sounds so nice."

James grinned at him warmly. "C'mon, Lily, they're not worth it."

All three Potters turned and left, with Vernon still sniveling by the stove. "I would have got those damn wizards; I just didn't feel like it." He slowly eased into his chair. "Yes sir, I would have hit them with a frying pan if they hadn't left."


	2. Godric's Hollow

**The Asterothain**

Disclaimer: All of the Harry Potter stuff belongs to J.K. Rowling.

A/N: I really hope everyone is liking this so far. I'm enjoying writing it-- me and my wicked impromptu ways...

_Godric's Hollow_

The old Potter House had stood for over one thousand years and, though no one was aware, it was the same place that Harry's ancestor, Godric Gryffindor had lived. Hence the name, Godric's Hollow. The old mansion stood behind a prodigious iron gate and behind the house was a large garden that included a pond where the Marauders had spent many a summer swimming.

Now in the living room to his amazing new home, Harry walked cautiously, uncertain of any parent-like rules James and Lily might enforce such as 'no tennis shoes on the couch'. He felt a bit silly worrying about rules at a time like this. The impossible had just happened and he supposed he was still a bit shaky from it.

Everything in the house had a sort of musty smell to it and he was quite sure he could smell the formation of rotten cheese and penicillin in a carton of milk gone bad, left over for sixteen years. Nothing had been taken from inside; at least it didn't seem it had.

James flung himself down on the musty, grimy old couch, throwing all parent-like rules out the window. "So... how is it, Harry?"

"It's… okay…."

"Hey, I grew up in this house!" James said defensively.

"Oh, how's the house? It's great! It's... _huge_." The boy looked upward at the expansive ceiling in awe.

"A little dirty. I'll take care of that," said Lily with an industrious look in her maternal eyes. She took out her wand and began cleaning up.

"So, how did you guys get here?" asked Harry, voicing the question he had pondered about for quite a while. "I mean, you're supposed to be dead, aren't you?"

"Supposed to be… but not. I'm perfectly alive as you can see," said James in a tone that inadvertently showed his intelligence. "For some reason, the spell didn't work on me. Voldemort knew that you would go live with Muggles after we were gone. He knew Sirius had been framed all these years. He figured, 'Hey, what the heck? I hate these two anyway; why not torture them by taking them away from their only son?' He knew that with the Dursleys you wouldn't be able to do magic (which, of course, you still can't) and you wouldn't be protected by anything at all. If he couldn't kill you, he decided he would at least put you in your most vulnerable positions. It just so happened that this course of action also made the people he hated very unhappy in the process. I think he looked at it as his greatest idea ever."

"That kind of explains everything…"

"You don't understand…. Okay, what?" James sat up on the couch with a determined stare and prepared himself for any new questions that Harry might ask.

"He wasn't after you guys; why would he want to take you?" Harry blinked-- yes, it _was _his father he was looking at.

"No, he wasn't after us, but he still hated us. We were still primary targets. He thought that if we were out of the way, again, you would be much more vulnerable."

Harry looked at him for a few moments, then asked, "Where have you been all this time?"

"Oh, different places. Albania, we went to France once, then Voldie decided he wanted a vacation, so we went to the Bahamas… it's really nice there," James answered casually.

"I can't believe you just talk about him like he's a regular person," Harry replied. "Wait a minute. Voldemort wasn't even in full prominence for thirteen years. Who was watching the both of you?"

"Malfoy did for one year, but most of the time it was just some Death Eater who probably didn't even know our names. Then Voldemort came back into power a few years ago, started keeping a close eye on us. Peter watched us for a while. Do you understand?" Harry's father looked at him with expectant eyes.

"I think. Voldemort thought I would be weaker with the Dursleys and so in order to get you out of the way he kidnapped you for sixteen years?"

"Precisely. Sixteen _long _years," he said with bitter nostalgia. "Now, sorry to leave you so soon but I heard Sirius got out of prison and I want to go and surprise him. Do you know where he'd be?"

Harry glanced into his father's bright eyes. "Sirius? Sirius isn't here anymore."

"Well, where is he? Australia? I can go there too, you know. Crazy bastard always did like the foreign countries."

"James, watch your language!" Lily chided.

"No, he's not in Australia. And he's not anywhere else…. Dad, Sirius was killed a little over a year ago…." Harry remembered the incident clearly and it took quite a bit of effort not to lose it entirely.

James's eyes flickered suddenly and disappointment set in. "How?"

His son winced at being asked to recount the tale. "Well, see, there was this veil in the Ministry of Magic, and the Order was having a battle with Death Eaters. Even after everyone had stopped, Sirius and Bellatrix Lestrange were still going. Bellatrix hit him with a spell and he fell in." Harry shuddered at the thought of that night. It had been more than a year and he still hated that memory.

Disappointment left James's eyes and anger set in. Harry was almost certain he could see a fire glowing within them. "Sirius isn't dead. He can't be. I won't believe it."

Lily, teary-eyed, stood behind him and gave him a hug and said, "Harry wouldn't lie. You've got to believe it. Where else would Sirius be?"

A/N: Review please!


	3. Fear

**The Asterothain**

Disclaimer: All of the Harry Potter stuff belongs to J.K. Rowling.

A/N: This is probably going to be the shortest chapter.

_Fear_

At the end of the street named Godric's Hollow, where the neighborhood ended, sat a tall, foreboding manor. All of the windows were dark and it seemed that no light had ever shown through them. An evil atmosphere surrounded the house and all that was in it. Even squirrels or other small animals that passed it, knowing nothing of the malevolence it held or would hold until the end of time, shivered at its appearance. Nothing peaceful could ever live there. This dark house was the Malfoy Manor. 

Within this house was where the Death Eaters thrived, where Voldemort himself knew he could always stay. When he was there the entire house trembled in fear along with everyone in it. If the house's inhabitants knew anything of what was taking place just down the street in the Potters' abode, dangerous things would happen. The bitter earth would shake with anger and tears for those that treaded its fine soil.

What would happen if these two houses set up their warfare against each other, these two noblest Houses of the street? On the one hand you have the righteous and the virtuous. On the other sits everything for which darkness and evil stand. Their residents would know nothing but fear, true honest fear….


	4. A Shadowed World

**The Asterothain**

Disclaimer: All of the Harry Potter stuff belongs to J.K. Rowling.

A/N: Thank you for reviewing! I had actually planned to bring the best character in the world back, so this is it and here goes.

_A Shadowed World _

It had been more than a year since Sirius Black had fallen through the passage to the Shadowed World. It was getting harder and harder for him to remember what exactly was right and what was wrong. Those dark spells he had been told about in Azkaban by those two raving lunatics were forming clearer in his mind. The Dark Arts and all else Voldemort stood for were no longer evil to him. Voldemort's words continually ran through his head. "There is no good and evil; there is only power and those too weak to seek it."

Sirius knew this had been one of Voldemort's favorite phrases, one of his most prized beliefs. Now it repeated itself in his psyche; pounded and chipped away at his soul while he slept. Sirius tried to fight it as best he could but it was just too damn hard in such a dark, shadowed place. It was too hard when he didn't know what was happening to Harry or Remus on the other side of that veil.

"Sure, it's just a curtain, just a veil," he told himself constantly. "All I have to do is open it and I'll be free again. That's all." But when he tried it wouldn't move. It looked like cloth, swayed like cloth, felt like cloth. But when he tried to open it, the veil stood like a rock.

This place wasn't like Azkaban. It was just as dark, just as lonely, but otherwise completely different. Sirius had conquered Azkaban with the knowledge that he was innocent. Here he had nothing to keep him sane. Here he had only darkness, loneliness, and a veil.


	5. A Nightmarish Escape

**The Asterothain**

Disclaimer: All of the Harry Potter stuff belongs to J.K. Rowling.

A/N: After the second review on this story, I decided to rewrite the fifth chapter. (I had already written it). I found it actually to be relatively controversial. So here I am with a longer, better, more agreeable chapter and if any one wants to read what I had planned maybe I will post it as a really long author's note. Anyway, this has got to be one of my favorite chapters.

**8-10-04**-- Okay, this chapter (no, I haven't re-written it) has been revised not only to fit my needs in future chapters, but to make it more realistic. Bellatrix and Rodolphus would never be as easily taken as they were, even by my beloved Sirius… okay, forget I said that part but you get the general idea. I've also added in parts where it seems maybe a little darker than before, so here it is, the re-written version!

_A Nightmarish Escape_

Sirius sat in fetal position staring at the veil. All he could think about was how to open it. Coming up blank for perhaps the thousandth time he groaned loudly in frustration. "It's useless! Just useless!" He shut his eyes but a few quick visions of Lily, Remus, Harry, and James forced them open again. A lonely tear found itself crawling down his face. He took out his wand, pointed it at the veil, and shouted, "Reducto!" Still nothing. Disappointed, he rolled on his side and fell into painful sleep.

He dreamed he was in front of Voldemort. At his feet lay James's cold, dead body, as he had seen it that dreadful night almost sixteen years ago. Only now they weren't at the Potter House. They were at Grimmauld Place. Voldemort raised his left arm, pulled down his sleeve, and touched the Dark Mark tattooed there. "You are a loyal servant, Black. You've done well in killing him."

Sirius was awakened by a hot, stinging feeling on his arm. "It's all my fault," he whispered. "I killed him." He shuddered at the very thought.

Behind him he could barely hear a voice. His cousin's voice. "There he is, Rodie! Get him!" it murmured.

Then the voice of Rodolphus Lestrange. "Bella! The Dark Lord is going to be so pleased! Maybe he'll even make us his right hand servants instead of the Malfoys!" Sirius felt hands grasp his ankles.

He raised himself and with a quick swish of his wand, shouted, "Expelliarmus!" Rodolphus's wand flung itself some fifteen feet away. Sirius saw Bellatrix's shadow advancing and with a swift kick at Rodolphus's chest, whirled around, pointing his wand at his cousin.

"What are you going to do, Sirius? Kill us?" Bellatrix laughed.

"Maybe," replied Sirius gravely, though he was unsure of whether or not he could actually do that. "How did you get in here?" he demanded, using the little confidence he had to build himself up.

Bellatrix's worried eyes were still cold as ice. "With this," she said, fingering a large medallion that hung on an old silver chain around her neck.

"Open the veil." Sirius's voice was severe.

"You always _were _too thick for your own good, my dear cousin," Bellatrix said still holding the medallion in thought. She was clearly trying to get into his head. "The Dark Lord wants to make you much more significant than you ever could be on your own. Be his servant, Sirius. He needs you, and by the looks of it, you could use his help as well. Come with us. Come with Rodolphus and me and you could be one of the greatest wizards in the world… all with the help of the Dark Arts. Forget your friends, forget that miserable godson of yours. You don't need them, Sirius."

Sirius's breath became uneasy. He couldn't help but think maybe she was telling the truth. Maybe she was right. He tried to shake these thoughts from his mind but they remained. There was something strange about the way she held that medallion. It seemed familiar, as if he had heard of or seen it somewhere. Yet he couldn't quite remember. He had to fight this. He had to stop her from saying things like that. "Open the veil," he said again.

Rodolphus's gasping breaths could be heard in the background. Bellatrix, still with a defiant look, ran her eyes over Sirius's narrow wand pointed at her. "Are you going to come?" asked Bellatrix hesitantly. "You could be great, you know." She waited for Sirius's response. "You're a great wizard. Use your power for something worth fighting for."

"I'm not going to follow you," Sirius said, his voice quivering with anxiety.

Bellatrix eyed his wand again. Feeling she may have struck a nerve in her cousin, hoping the conversation would unsettle his usually Muggle-loving thoughts, she took off the necklace and walked slowly to the veil. Standing on her tiptoes she was able to fit the pyramid-like medallion into a hole at the top. She stood back and said, "There. Go through."

"Drop your wand," commanded Sirius and she obeyed. He calmly stepped through the long curtain.

"You'll come back to us. You'll come back to the Dark Lord and you'll be one of us…. Just like your brother." Bellatrix gave a smile that hinted at what she was trying to say, but Sirius, too confused with what he had felt shortly before and too excited at the fact that he would soon be with everyone he loved, did not decode this message as he should have. With one last glance back at his cousin, he disapparated to Privet Drive to find Harry.

A/N: To lighten up the mood (because this is much too serious for me) when I was re-writing this, there at the end where Bellatrix just does whatever he says, I couldn't help but think how funny it would be for him to say, "Do the funky chicken," or "Break dance," and then see her do it so obediently. I don't know why. It's just something I thought of. LOL!


	6. Bagel Orion Scott

**The Asterothain**

Disclaimer: All of the Harry Potter stuff belongs to J.K. Rowling.

A/N: Sorry for that crazy little note at the end of last chapter. Just in case you're wondering: Bagel Orion Scott is my Original Character. So is Adrienne. I think you'll catch on to the subtle hints I send you and if you don't, don't worry because it'll be blown clear open after a few more chapters. I must tell you that this entire chapter is very RELEVANT. I had to ask myself if it was but finally determined the answer. Oh, and one last note… if this doesn't make you go, "AAAAAWWWWWWWWWW"… nothing will.

_Bagel Orion Scott_

Ever since he was born, Bagel Orion Scott had wanted to be a Hogwarts Gryffindor like he had been told his father was. His Slytherin mother, Adrienne Scott, however, wouldn't tolerate it. Not in her house. So, instead, Bagel was sent to Bulgaria every year to attend Durmstrang.

His real name wasn't Bagel. It was Vega, but four Durmstrang terms ago, when he was a first year, another student mispronounced his name and it stuck. For two years he had been called Bagel (which he actually preferred). It made his initials spell out BOS, which he found delightfully entertaining and taunted the other students with the promotion that he was "the boss".

Bagel's mother, like Durmstrang, wasn't exactly ideal. A walk with her wasn't a walk in the park; on the contrary, when he thought of walking somewhere with her, Bagel envisioned running ahead whilst dodging hexes and flying inanimate objects. She was the worst mother a son could ever have and one of his worst fears.

At the moment, Bagel was sitting in his almost empty bedroom daydreaming about what his father might be like. The only other thing in his room was his school trunk. No bed, no blankets, nothing. Only the trunk, himself, and his small, broken window that made the room dangerously drafty during the winter months.

He knew his father had been put in Azkaban for working with the Dark Lord, but Bagel didn't believe it. When he thought of his dad, he could see a fairly good-looking man with kind, loving eyes. None of this mattered, of course. Not after receiving word last year that he had died. Even if he was alive, Adrienne still had full custody.

As it began to rain outside, Bagel crawled away from his shattered window, almost tripping over the large shirt he was wearing. Downstairs he heard the door open and close and then two voices talking quietly. He got up, wrapping the huge shirt around his body, and walked quiescently down the filthy staircase in his bare feet.

A tall man with long, sleek blonde hair towered over Adrienne in the kitchen. "The Dark Lord has found the Asterothain."

"What?" asked Adrienne.

"The Asterothain. You must have some idea of what I'm saying?"

"Is that the new weapon he's been talking about, Lucius?" Adrienne looked at the visitor quizzically.

"Yes, Adrienne. He already sent the Lestranges to retrieve Black."

A flash of anger burst in Adrienne's eyes. "Why do they want _him_?"

"He'll be put under the Imperious Curse and made a Death Eater." An evil smirk appeared on Lucius's face.

Bagel stepped into sight. "What's he talking about, Mum?"

"Bagel! Get back upstairs!" Adrienne shouted.

"But can't I get a bite to eat first? I'm starving," answered Bagel in hopes of staying and hearing more.

"Leave! Now!" Adrienne threw a dirty saucer at him and he scampered back up the staircase.

"Charming boy," said Lucius Malfoy sarcastically. "A bit like Black himself."

"Why do you think I hate the bastard," Adrienne muttered in response. "He's exactly like his father."

"Why didn't you try to change him? Make him one of us?"

"I did, but Sirius Black left a stain I can't remove," the former wife scowled.


	7. The Asterothain

**The Asterothain**

Disclaimer: All of the Harry Potter stuff belongs to J.K. Rowling.

A/N: Thank you for the reviews! I'm very glad to have those few. In case you're wondering, I am very much picturing the Dursley house like the one in the movie. Alas, the chapter the fic is named for.

_The Asterothain_

Sirius hadn't apparated for so long he had feared his skills were a bit rusty…. He had been right. When he apparated to Number Four Privet Drive, he didn't end up in the house as he had expected; he ended up in a bed of flowers outside the Dursleys' kitchen window. Pulling a pink begonia out of his mouth, he looked into the empty kitchen.

Harry's godfather walked around the house to the front door and, not bothering to knock, waltzed inside. Vernon came peeping around the corner into the hall, the half of his head visible blocking the kitchen lighting. His tiny eyes grew larger, almost popping out of his fat skull as they spotted Sirius's wand in his pocket. "Another one?" he whispered. Fearfully, yet with much bravado, the Muggle charged into the much-too-small hallway shouting, "Get out of my house!" Midway down the hall he became stuck betwixt a table and the stair wall.

Sirius laughed cheerlessly and pointed his wand at Vernon. "Where's Harry?"

Vernon went cross-eyed staring at the black tip of the wand. "Who's asking?"

"His godfather," Sirius answered angrily and the tip of his wand became luminescent with a green glow.

Vernon smiled crazily and cowered at the power before him. His legs twitched uneasily. "He went to his home-- wi-- with his parents," he sniveled. The green light in front of him faded and he looked up at Sirius's confused face.

"What are you talking about? James and Lily are dead." The vision of James's body and the words Voldemort had spoken in his nightmare created a small twinge in Sirius's chest.

"It surprised me, too. But at least their rat doesn't live here anymore." Vernon tried to wiggle free, but after failing, called, "Petunia! Get the butter!"

"Did they go to Godric's Hollow?" asked Sirius, apparently deep in thought.

"They may have mentioned it, yes," Vernon grunted and struggled against his lifeless captors.

Sirius tousled Vernon's hair and said, "Thanks for the tip, Verny." He again attempted to disapparate, this time to the old, musty Potter House.

For the second time his apparition had failed him, but Sirius didn't take it into much consideration. He was on what appeared to be the second floor of the Malfoy Manor a mansion in which he had spent many of his childhood memories. On the walls hung various ancient weapons such as maces and swords that he remembered quite vividly from many years ago.

From outside the room came Voldemort's voice. Thinking quickly, Sirius stepped behind a large mirror and inconspicuously peeked around it. Voldemort strolled in followed by young Draco Malfoy, who wore a long, black robe.

Voldemort picked up a figure that looked very much like the one Sirius had seen Bellatrix wearing not an hour ago. "This," he said, "is the Asterothain. Do you have any idea of what it does?"

Malfoy's eyes glittered. "I've heard of it. Is that really it?" he eagerly demanded rather than inquired.

"No. This is just a copy; the Lestranges are using the real one to retrieve Sirius Black from the veil. The Asterothain is what will lead us to victory and destroy Harry Potter." Sirius felt fury rage within him. "When wearing it, your charms and incantations are magnified to their greatest power. Draco," Voldemort looked Malfoy in the eye with the seriousness of a proud father, "with the Asterothain, even Peter Pettigrew could be considered the greatest wizard in the world."

Malfoy tried to touch the copy but Voldemort snatched it away from his hand and put it safely back on the shelf it had been sitting on. "Come with me," Voldemort said, walking out of the room again followed by Malfoy.

After a few minutes, Sirius crept from his hiding place and over to the shelf the copy delicately sat on. It was shaped like a star with a triangular base and in each of its three corners was an embedded, five-pointed, white star. Sirius glanced cautiously back at the door, making sure he was alone. He grabbed the copy of the Asterothain and pocketed it. He glanced out the window and down the street at the Potter House and for the third time, disapparated.


	8. Reunited

**The Asterothain**

Disclaimer: All of the Harry Potter stuff belongs to J.K. Rowling.

A/N: Not to be conceited but, I really, really love this chapter. I think it's extremely sweet.

_Reunited_

Sirius knocked on the door to the Potter House and after a few moments it opened to reveal Lily Potter. She gasped at the sight of him then gave him an almost strangling hug. "Oh! Sirius, Harry said you were dead and James has been so depressed," she said and after letting him go, added, "I mean, in his way. You know, where he puts on a brave face and when he thinks you're not looking acts sad. So, where have you been?"

Sirius lifted her mid-embrace mainly trying to escape her powerful hug. He set her down and looked at her beautiful, smiling face. He had missed her. "I had forgotten how long-winded you can be." He hit his knuckles against the outside wall of the house repeatedly, betraying his yearning to see James. "I'll tell you everything once we're all together. As for now, where is James?"

Lily smiled in concord and led Sirius into the living room where James again sat on the couch alone reading a book. "James, I have a surprise for you."

James didn't look up from the book he was reading. "Lils, last time you said that you brandished a pair of pink boxers you bought at the mall at me."

"Last time I checked, I wasn't a pair of pink boxers," said Sirius.

James's head jerked away from the book at the sound of Sirius's voice. "Padfoot? Is that you? What happened to you?" He looked at his old friend in shock-- time had changed his formerly attractive figure.

Sirius stared down at his feet. "Well, twelve years in Azkaban didn't help me."

His best friend grinned, hopped up from his seat, and inspected Sirius. "I see… hmm… I see, turn around…" Sirius did a three hundred sixty degree spin. "Just as I thought."

Sirius looked at him with bewildered eyes. "What is it?"

James beamed at his friend's sullen face. "Those newspaper pictures didn't do you justice. You're much better looking than they depicted you." His compliment was successful. James poked Sirius in his empty stomach. "Yeah, all you need is a little more meat on your bones. But in a minute. Right now, Harry has to see you…. HARRY!"

Sirius conjured up a large book about Quidditch behind his back as Harry came running downstairs. The seventeen-year-old stopped dead in his tracks at the base of the stairs. "Sirius? Wha-- how--?"

"Come here," Sirius beckoned. When Harry was closer Sirius handed out the book. "Happy late seventeenth birthday, Harry. I'll make it up to you for being late sometime later."

"Thanks," Harry replied, still curious about the sudden appearance of the godfather he'd known to be gone forever.

"Alright, now I'll tell you." Sirius pulled out the model from his pocket. "This is a copy of the Asterothain," he said, holding it up.

"We learned about that in Charms last year…. But where did you get it?" asked Harry.

"My friends, this copy came from none other than the Malfoy Manor itself," Sirius announced.

James looked at him solemnly. "Why were you there?"

"I was trying to go here, but my apparition isn't that great anymore… I need to practice." Sirius started to tell them the about the flower incident, but decided against it to save their laughter for something that didn't make him feel like a moron. "Anyway, I thought you might like to know that Voldemort has the real one." Sirius went on to tell them the happenings within the veil, skipping over his nightmare prudently.

"Well," said Lily, breaking the silence afterward, "I guess I'll go make dinner."

"I thought you'd never say that," Sirius teased as she walked away through a door to the right of the couch.

"I'm really glad you're back, Padfoot," James said with a cheerful grin.

A/N: Please review!


	9. Sirius and I

**The Asterothain**

Disclaimer: All of the Harry Potter stuff belongs to J.K. Rowling. I also don't own the song written on the back of the picture, just thought I should add that in.

A/N: Sorry about the delay we've been redecorating my bedroom and it's been a lot of work and then we had a party and… wow. But finally here's this chapter! Please read and review!

_Sirius and I_

As Bagel waited for the second side of the pancake he was making to finish, he glanced at the Daily Prophet that was layed on the table. In big letters on the front page was typed: UN-OBITUARIES. Bagel turned to take the pancake out of the frying pan and turn off the oven. He buttered his pancake and since he had no syrup, ate it as one would eat a sandwich.

Whilst he ate he read the article on un-obituaries. It read:

_Formerly dead James and Lily Potter and ex-convict Sirius Black have all been found to be alive. Apparently the curse that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named performed on them did not work on the Potters who have been residing with him and various other Death Eaters for the last sixteen years. Sirius Black claims to have escaped a device in the Department of Mysteries by forcing Rodolphus and Bellatrix Lestrange (renowned followers of You-Know-Who) to set him free. He says they used the Asterothain (a legendary talisman capable of a range of powerful magic) to let him out. Keeping in mind, however, almost two years ago the report that Black had in fact been helping these two and others escape from Azkaban. Black has been known to help You-Know-Who's followers occasionally, so why shouldn't they return the favor? _

"My God! Is this a news article or an editorial?" Bagel said jokingly. He looked at the author: Percy Weasley. He had read an article by him last week and it was just as opinionated. Seems like the Ministry's trying to start something again, he thought. The name Sirius stuck out to him, though. He looked at the bottom of the article where there was a picture of the three. The caption said Sirius was the one on the left. Bagel swallowed the rest of his pancake, took the newspaper, and went upstairs, not stopping at his room but going on to the attic.

Once inside, he pulled an old album out of a torn, dusty box. In it were dozens of pictures of his mother Adrienne with a rather tall man with black hair like Bagel's own. This was who he had always imagined his father to be, ever since he was five and first found the pictures. Bagel knew the two in the pictures had been married, but had divorced four years before he was born. Divorced when his father was sent to Azkaban for working with Voldemort. Bagel held the newspaper picture up to a picture he had taken out of the album and compared Sirius Black to the man in the picture. They looked like they could have been brothers in the least. Bagel turned over the picture to read who of and where it was taken.

_Sirius and I at Dover--1985_

"There'll be bluebirds over

The white cliffs of Dover

Just you wait and see."

Sirius Black. Bagel ran downstairs, newspaper and picture in hand and scrambled through the silverware drawer until he found a silver spoon, on which was inscripted:

_The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black_

"Toujours Pur"

around a family crest. It all fit. Sirius Black, the ex-convict from Azkaban, his mother's ex-husband, his father. It explained Adrienne's anger at Lucius's mentioning of Sirius. Now all he needed was confirmation. He put the picture in his pocket and strolled into Adrienne's bedroom with the Daily Prophet.

Adrienne, who was writing furiously at an already four-page letter, didn't look up at his entrance. Bagel threw the Daily Prophet down onto her bed and still she didn't look up.

"Sirius Black is still alive," said Bagel.

"So? What's it to us?"

"An ex-convict is still alive; your ex-husband is still alive; my father is still alive."

Finally Adrienne looked up from her paper. "What are you talking about?"

"Sirius Black-- you were in love with him, weren't you? Then you had a divorce when he was put in Azkaban, but you were still quite in love. So, about four years later, when you decided you couldn't take his absence anymore, you went to visit him in Azkaban. Nine months later, on April 9th, after you've finally had enough of Sirius Black, you wind up with me. Vega Orion Scott _Black_."

Adrienne's eyes threw him an evil glare. "You don't want that name hanging over you, bastard."

Bagel just smiled. "So, in order to stop me from being like him, you keep me from the outside world, send me to Durmstrang when I need schooling, and just overall treat me like shit. It didn't work, Mum."

"I'm aware. What does any of this matter to you anyway?" Adrienne again buried herself in writing.

"I'm going to him," Bagel announced. "I have to meet him. Does he even know I exist?"

"Go on, then. Go find him. He knows who you are, he just hates you. You symbolize everything he ever did with me. That's why he hasn't been here. You don't know the man," she spat.

"Where should I start?" asked Bagel looking back at the Daily Prophet on his mother's bed.

She looked at the picture below the article. "Well, if the Potter's are back, he's probably free-loading off them. Number Two Godric's Hollow, that should lead you right. And tell him I said he's a damn son of a bitch," Adrienne answered and resumed her writing.

"Thanks for the tip," the boy replied hollowly. He walked out of the room, grabbing a piece of paper as he went and wrote the address on it. Then he went up to his room, took his trunk, and left the house for what he hoped was forever.


	10. The Wrath of the King

**The Asterothain**

Disclaimer: All of the Harry Potter stuff belongs to J.K. Rowling.

A/N: I'm BAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!!!! I love this chapter because it's got so many dimensions… at least I think so… It's really short but please read and review!

_The Wrath of the King_

Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange trotted into the Great Hall of the Malfoy Manor where Voldemort sat in the King's Chair between Lucius and Draco Malfoy. Rodolphus stood in front to protect his wife from whatever punishment might come. With an apologetic look, he said, "My lord,--"

"Where's Black?" asked the king, the Dark Lord, impatiently.

Bellatrix pulled the Asterothain from her neck and laid it at Voldemort's feet. "My lord, I assure you we will see him again."

"Why not now?" Voldemort snapped.

Bellatrix cowered at his cold voice. "He would not have come willingly, my lord. He would not have been loyal to you."

"Fools!" The king picked the Asterothain off the floor and it shined in the light. "You had this! You had power and you couldn't _persuade _him?!" he shouted his voice lingering on the word 'persuade' as though suggesting something much more severe.

Bellatrix averted her eyes and grabbed Rodolphus in a fearful hug. The Malfoys had pulled their wands out of their pockets and were watching Voldemort for a signal and with a keen desire to torture. "Can we, my lord?" asked Lucius venomously.

"No, let me." The king took out his own wand and, as though it were an impulse, shouted, "CRUCIO! Perhaps this will teach you to better persuade in the future. Screaming could be heard from miles around, screaming created by the wrath of the King of Evil.

…

Not far down the road, at the Potter House, the Boy Who Lived clutched his forehead in pain. The sixteen-year-old scar burned with anger, anger that wasn't his. Harry leaned over the book his godfather had given him and a single, silvery tear fell heavily on the new page.


	11. The Next Generation

**The Asterothain**

Disclaimer: All of the Harry Potter stuff belongs to J.K. Rowling.

Author's Note: To Lady Taliesin: Yes, I love constructive criticism! Thanks for that! (BTW, I'm not being sarcastic). I was actually planning to re-write several chapters because, you and another reviewer are so right… They're not very realistic. Bellatrix and Rodolphus wouldn't be so easily taken. And everyone is acting like nothing ever happened, even though we've got three people that have just kind of come back to life. I mean, you'd think they'd all be a little more happy and maybe throw parties and stuff, but I didn't do that. They just kind of said, "Okay, look he's alive now… cool… I have my father back." So I'm going to re-write several chapters and I need to add in a chapter about James and Sirius seeing Remus again. I realized they hadn't been reunited the other day and who are James and Sirius without the lovely Remus to keep them in line? Lol. Don't worry and thanks for the compliments and constructive criticism. I hope this chapter will seem a little more real. It's a tad more humorous than the others I think. P.S. If you have a better name for this chapter, please tell me, because I can't think of any. And how is everyone liking my Original Character? Honestly, now…

_The Next Generation_

Bagel paid the taxi driver with the last of his life's savings and ran down the road to Number Two dragging his trunk behind him. Thunder rolled above him and the sky was flickering blindingly. It had already rained once that day but now it began again. In the distance, when the lightning filled the sky, the silhouette of the old Malfoy Manor shown with defined lines. Not a light was on inside of it and the house gave Bagel a bit of a start when it first appeared to him.

The boy ran straight through a large puddle as he turned into the yard of the Potter House. When he reached the door, he stood on his tiptoes to grasp the brass knocker and hit the oak entrance three times. The passage was large, he noticed, and very ornate with a fifteenth century design.

The entrance opened to reveal the charming face of James Potter, who incidentally wasn't expecting guests. "Can I help you?"

The young teenager looked up at him brightly. This was it; he was about to meet the man he had fantasized about all his life. "Hi, I'm Bagel. I'm looking for Sirius Black; do you know him?"

"Of course I do," James answered as though this should be obvious to everyone. "Follow me; let's get you out of the rain."

Bagel did as he was told, leaving his drenched trunk beside the coat rack. They went through the entrance hall and into the living room where Bagel first saw his father sitting in a cozy red armchair with the morning paper. "Sirius? Someone's here to see you.

"Oh, yeah?" he answered distractedly. "Who is it?"

"Bagel… what was your last name?"

"Bagel..." He hesitated, wondering whether he should use Adrienne's name. "Black…" Bagel stared at Sirius who turned to see him, did, and fell heavily out of the chair to the elegantly carpeted floor.

James was watching the both of them curiously. "Sirius?" he asked expectantly.

Sirius didn't take his eyes off Bagel. A grin slowly spread across his face. "Are you-- you're--" For one of the few times in his life, Sirius Black, ex-convict, escapee from Azkaban, godfather of the Boy Who Lived, and Marauder, was speechless.

"My whole name is Vega Orion Scott Black. I went to Durmstrang for two years. I'm prepared for my third. My mother's name is Adrienne Marie Scott. My father's name is Sirius Castor Black. Yeah, that's who I am…," the boy said with a shrug. "I came here to find you…." Bagel stood for a moment, with nothing more to say then laughed at the ridiculous expression Sirius's grin gave his face.

Sirius leapt, almost crushed Bagel in a gripping hug while James remained utterly perplexed. "Sirius? Care to explain?" James scratched the back of his head in confusion. "Lily!" he called. "You've got to see this! You too, Harry!"

The other two Potters came into the room in even more puzzled states. The Blacks were rejoicing on the floor, cackling at themselves, reveling in their newfound unity. James explained to his wife and son the complex fragment of life that had just happened before him. "Sirius has a son?" asked Harry.

After the Blacks had finished their mini-celebration, Sirius sat up on the floor tiredly as though he had just been tickled furiously. Gazing at the bewildered looks from James, Lily, and Harry, he said, "All right, here's the story…

"When I was sent to Azkaban, my marriage with Adrienne kind of broke apart. She couldn't see me and I couldn't see her, and that's just not any circumstance to keep a marriage under. We were divorced, but I dunno, I guess Adrienne didn't really like it that way either. She started petitioning the Ministry. She wanted to visit me… of course, that didn't do her much good… I had been four years in and, well, let's just say I wasn't looking my best… She got what she wanted after a few tries and she came to see me…. James, you and Lily must understand. We were twenty-five. We hadn't seen each other in four years and we had never really gotten any closure before our sudden departure. After that, she didn't come back. She didn't want to see me, or have anything to do with me. I can't blame her…. I wasn't much to come back to anyway. But I got a letter a few months later from Adrienne. She said simply she had named our son Vega Orion Scott. That's all…. I haven't heard from her since."

"That's probably for the best. She always did have a slight affinity for Malfoy, though," said James, recalling Adrienne's nature. "They've probably been seeing each other behind Narcissa's back. So then you have a son… named after a breakfast. Cool."

Lily strode forward to Bagel. "Good God, you're skin and bones. Hasn't she been feeding you?"

"No, I feed myself mainly. I had a pancake this morning but I haven't had anything since then."

Lily looked flabbergasted. "It's nearly tea time and you haven't had lunch? You poor thing…. I'm making sandwiches," she said determinedly. "Harry, why don't you help him find a bedroom so he can put on dry clothes." And with those final maternal directions she walked into the kitchen muttering something about bad mothers.

James smiled at Bagel. "I think she likes you. What d'you know?… Well, go on and follow Harry. I'll bring your trunk up."


	12. Laughter in a World of Darkness

**The Asterothain**

Disclaimer: All of the Harry Potter stuff belongs to J.K. Rowling.

A/N: Prepare to laugh. This entire chapter is written at my whim because I needed to clear my head. All of the other chapters have made my head spin a little, but this should make it all better. Please review!

_Laughter in a World of Darkness_

Harry stood in the door to one of the many empty bedrooms on the second floor of the Potter House. Bagel was in the room looking around, getting a feel of the room. "Sirius never told me he had a son before," said Harry rather gloomily.

"Maybe he thought it didn't really matter," Bagel answered, turning to face the older boy. "We didn't exactly plan to have this little meet'n'greet. I just kinda showed up. And here I am. I'm sorry if I'm stepping on your turf, but I wanted to be as far away from that bitch as possible. She was terrible. I never want to see her again."

"Oh, you don't bother me. I just wish I had known you existed. Maybe a 'By the way, Harry, I have an ex-wife and a son who I've never seen before.' It's just common courtesy, that's all."

"I know. Adults never tell you these things. They just kinda go on with their business like you don't need to know you have a father that just came back to life. You could even have a brother that's wanted in Hong Kong and you would never know."

"And they never like to talk about what you want to talk about, either. You could say something about the Tutshill Tornados and they'd come back with something like 'I sold eight hundred seventy-one drills today'. It doesn't even have to make sense." Harry laughed at the thought of Uncle Vernon's angry violet face.

"I have purple socks on," Bagel said, imitating an unconcerned adult.

Harry laughed harder. "Do you really?"

Bagel nodded and pulled up his pants leg to reveal a lavender sock. "This girl down the road gave them to me because they didn't fit her anymore. I only took them because I thought they were kinda funny."

"Uncle Vernon tried to make me wear these pink and red leather shoes once but I threw them at his head and ran for it."

Bagel caught the contagious laughter and Harry turned the bedspread on the bed to a plum color that made Bagel double up and fall on the floor. "Once I had about twelve white shirts and Mum had stopped washing clothes. I though 'no problem, anyone can wash clothes'. So I put them all in there with this red shirt and they all turned light pink. And then we went to the store and this little kid pointed at me and laughed. And all these other kids started it and I was like, 'aurgh! It's a conspiracy of little laughing midgets!'"

Both boys rolled on the floor laughing. James opened the door, carrying Bagel's trunk and looked at them questioningly. "Well, Sirius," he said to his friend who stood outside the room with him, "I think they like each other."


	13. The Assassin

**The Asterothain**

Disclaimer: All of the Harry Potter stuff belongs to J.K. Rowling.

A/N: Mystery-lovers, I've written a chapter for you. Please read and review and thanks lots to my loyal reviewer Lady Taliesin!

_The Assassin_

Outside of the large, foreboding home of Cornelius Fudge, a hooded figure pulled a wand out of his pocket. A pale hand held it tightly and pointed it at the doorknob. "Alohomora," whispered the figure's dark croaking voice. The figure crept into the house, down a hall and into the den where the entire Fudge family sat by the fire.

One of the children, probably the older of the two, spotted him and slowly rose to his feet with a horrified expression on his face. Fudge looked at his son confusedly. "What's wrong, Mitchell?" he asked. The Minister turned his head and saw the dark figure, shrouded in black robes, wand out, his face barely visible.

The woman next to Fudge shrieked in terror and grabbed the two children, clutching them tightly against her chest. Fudge cursed. "Rhonda, take Mitchell and Ardene away from here, anywhere, just go," he said, brandishing his own wand and climbing over the couch.

Rhonda Fudge grabbed the Floo Powder that sat on the mantle and she and the children were gone in green flames. The Minister of Magic was glaring at the hooded figure, which he had identified. "They should never have let you off. Just because some crazy old man says you're innocent doesn't mean anything. The Ministry was right about you; you're exactly like the rest of your family, aren't you?"

The figure let out a wicked laugh. "That all depends on what you make me."

Fudge looked at him quizzically. "What do you mean?"

The man smiled evilly. " I can be your best friend…," he lingered here a moment, "or your worst nightmare." His cold smile faded into a deadly frown. He raised his wand and shouted--

…

Outside of the large, foreboding home of Cornelius Fudge a green light flickered through the windows. The door creaked open, and a dark hooded figure walked out. The figure turned, pointed his wand to the sky, and with an malicious laugh whispered, "Morsmordre." The Dark Mark appeared in the heavens, green and glowing with evil.


	14. Murdered

**The Asterothain**

Disclaimer: All of the Harry Potter stuff belongs to J.K. Rowling.

A/N: Just so you know, I revised Chapter Five: A Nightmarish Escape if you want to read it, (which you should, because I added stuff in that could be crucial to future chapters.) This is Chapter Fourteen and it's not very good because I had written something for it and it was really important, but now I don't want that to be in here, but it still has some informational content and that's why I did submit it. Anyway, please read and review!

_Murdered_

Sirius rolled out of bed and looked at the clock. Eleven A.M., he thought with a slight headache forming above his right eye. The grandfather clock went off in the hall, forcing the headache to engulf his brain's entire right hemisphere. He groaned at the noise. He hadn't gotten in bed until late that night and couldn't quite remember why. What did he do last night to keep him away from sleep? Oh well, it wasn't important. He stroked his unshaven cheek to inspect; he'd take care of that.

Sirius took out some clean robes and boxers and started down the hall to the bathroom for a shower. He could smell the aroma of breakfast being made floating upstairs to the second floor. Sausage, eggs, biscuits… Lily was a great cook. He remembered how eager she had been to impress Bagel with her cooking. His son had been at the Potter House for about a month now and had made a fairly large impact on the house. He knew things about Durmstrang and Death Eaters and was able to give them lots of information. He was really loving his stay here.

Once in the bathroom, he searched the cabinets for a headache cream like the one Madame Pomfrey used to use. He didn't find one but he did find some Muggle medicine labeled aspirin. Willing to try anything once he downed the required number of pills and then began preparing for his shower.

He looked in to see what kind of shampoo Lily had stocked this bathroom with and found a bottle that read: Jasmine and Freesia. "What the Hell? Ah well. At least I won't look… or _smell_, like Snivellus." He smiled at his joke and upon realizing no one but himself was there to hear it he went on frowning over his headache.

When he walked downstairs after his shower everyone had finished eating but were still sitting at the table. James smiled broadly when Sirius entered the room. "Harry and Bagel start school in a week!" he said and Bagel gave a face that suggested all parents were evil, foul little creatures.

"Really? Is it really that close? I haven't done anything to prepare! Bagel needs school supplies! And a transfer to Hogwarts!" Sirius's headache throbbed once again.

"Don't worry, we took care of the transfer. We can get the supplies today. On Thursday he has to get sorted. Dumbledore will come here with the sorting hat. That's how he says they do transfers. But I'm sure he'll be a Gryffindor. Which reminds me; Bagel, you might want to meet Ben Galbraith. He's going to be a Gryffindor Third Year come September. He lives just a few houses down."

Bagel nodded as Sirius sat down with his full plate. "He sounds cool. I'll go now."

"All right, three houses down," James agreed with his cheery grin. "And stay away from Number Thirteen at the end of the road," he added with grave severity.

Sirius rubbed his head sourly. "Doesn't Moony have some poor kid taken from him in a divorce, too? Name starts with a J…?"

"Right," said James. "Jesse Lupin. Remus hasn't seen him in years. But he should this year. Remus has been called to Hogwarts by Dumbledore. Wants him to be a Professor again."

Harry's heart skipped a beat. "Professor Lupin's going to teach again?"

"That's what he wrote in his letter. He's coming over for dinner on Tuesday," answered Lily, who was flipping through the Daily Prophet.

Harry beamed with joy. "I can't wait to see him again! This is the best summer ever!"

"I'd have to agree with you, Harry. I can't remember any other so divine," James replied. He turned to Sirius, "Where were you last night? You didn't show up until almost five thirty this morning. I was getting worried but then I heard you come in."

"I dunno; I don't really remember."

Lily gasped. "Listen! This article says Fudge was killed last night. No one knows by who yet; Rhonda Fudge, his wife is too shocked to tell as are the children. It happened at about three this morning. Anyway, it says Percy Weasley is going to take over until a proper replacement can be put in…. Kind of weird isn't it?"


	15. Dinner on Tuesday

**The Asterothain**

Disclaimer: All of the Harry Potter stuff belongs to J.K. Rowling.

A/N: Sorry for the break in writing, but school started… now I'm back on track, though. Anyway, This is chapter 15 I think and was really fun to write because of the humor in it. I hope you enjoy!

_Dinner on Tuesday_

The sun was high over the Potter House when Remus Lupin arrived followed by his thirteen-year-old son Jesse Lupin. He was greeted inside by four cheerful old friends and one new face, Sirius's son. Old stories were told and laughter filled the atmosphere. A good friendship was made between Jesse and Bagel who also invited Ben Galbraith over later. There was talk about the coming school year and darker, whispering thoughts on Voldemort's plans between Harry and the Marauders.

Eventually spaghetti was served and everyone ate heartily. Now a group discussion began. "Are you glad to go back to Hogwarts, Moony?" asked James.

"Of course! But even if I weren't asked I'd feel compelled to go back. I don't think it will be very safe this year," answered Remus conversationally.

"Why not?" Sirius consumed an enormous bite of the spaghetti.

"I've heard rumors about Voldemort attacking the school sometime this year."

"I think I heard something about that last year at Durmstrang," Bagel said. "Two guys talking about it. They were older than me; they'd be about Harry's age now."

Harry looked at him startled. "Students?"

"I read in the Quibbler that Durmstrang has been recruiting students, turning them into Death Eaters," responded Lily. "Not that it's true; it _was _in the Quibbler."

"It's partially true." Bagel gave a small smile at his importance and knowledge. "But the students have a choice in the matter. The Death Eaters don't hold anything against them, though, because they'll probably end up financially supporting V-- You-Know-- Ah, to hell with it-- Voldemort."

Sirius laughed and Remus gave them both scolding glances. "What?" asked Sirius. "He's thirteen! I swore when I was thirteen, too."

"That doesn't mean anything, Sirius. You swore when you were ten!"

Lily, attempting to end the topic, asked after finishing her bite, "So, Remus, did you read about the Minister of Magic Sunday?"

Remus politely left his chastising to answer her question. "Yeah, it's kinda spooky, isn't it? Who could it have been?"

"Anyone is my guess," said Ben.. "It could've been someone at this table."

Sirius looked from face to face, finally landing on Lily's. "It was her," he said with a smile. Lily playfully slapped him on the shoulder. " Can't you just see her blowing off old Fudge's head? You can see it in those beady little green eyes."

Remus looked shocked. "Sirius, please! There are children here!" However, his case wasn't helped much when all three third years went rolling on the floor laughing.

"What's the matter, Moony? Are you afraid I might give them ideas?"

Remus, realizing his cause was futile but still trying vainly to fight the good fight, replied, "No… no, I was worried they might… might have nightmares." The soon-to-be teacher sat watching the three of them as their laughing subsided and they blinked back at him with watery eyes and twitching smiles.

"Hey, Remus, do you know what kind of attack Voldemort could be planning?" asked James.

"No clue. I've heard different rumors but only one seems feasible. They say he wants to ambush the school," Remus replied after re-composing himself.

"Ambush the school?" Ben's adventurous eyes turned to Lupin interestedly.

"Wack-jobs--" Sirius began one of his rants, "the world is made up entirely of wack-jobs; that's my stand. Who'd wanna hurt children? Who'd wanna recruit _children _to hurt other children?! It's insane!"

"It's a plan, Sirius," said James. "Can't you see? It was obviously one of his ranks that killed the Minister. With Fudge out of the way, who knows what will happen."

"He's right, Dad," Bagel cut in. "Fudge was a regular asshole but he did put in a strong hand in defeating Voldemort."

"I guess so. But where the hell is Dumbledore in all this?"

For the first time in a while, Jesse spoke up. "He's the one that summoned Dad to the castle. It's bound to be for security as well as teaching."

"Right," Remus said approvingly. "My only fear is that Hogwarts Defenses won't be enough this time. Voldemort's back in full power now; remember how worried the teachers were when he first came about? And now he has more followers than ever. People from other breeds, other countries, other continents!"

"So you think he wants to ambush Hogwarts; there is definite reason to believe he could do that?" asked Sirius.

"Yes, why?"

"Because I have a plan."


	16. The New Minister

**The Asterothain  
**  
Disclaimer: All of the Harry Potter stuff belongs to J.K. Rowling.

A/N: School is driving me crazy!!!! By the way, I was reading Two-way mirrors and it was really good. Anyway, I've been typing up essays for scholarships and for school, I went to a county fair yesterday, and I've been typing original stories on fictionpress under the same name as here so the whole putting stories on the Internet has really gotten ahead of me. But I've managed to write a chapter and I'm going to partially use impromptu writing on the next one because I already have a page or two of it written.

_The New Minister_

The Minister's office door was very blank excluding the black words reading his title on the glass window. No posters or signs of individuality of any kind surrounded it. To anyone with such colorful personalities as James and Sirius, it would have seemed a total bore. For the moment, however, the re-instated Hit Wizards' interests were piqued by the ever so lackluster door.

They needed to talk to the Minister. As for now, someone (they were unsure who) had already claimed that task. They sat on a bench beside the hideously style-less door, waiting almost patiently with the occasional fidgeting extremity.

Sirius, after repeatedly cracking his knuckles got down on the floor to peek under the door. "Whoever he's talking to has Malfoy-ish shoes. It's not Malfoy though; the feet aren't big enough."

"Sirius, what are you doing?" James asked.

"Entertaining myself. Hey, the feet are coming this way, "Sirius answered, still peeking under the door.

"Sirius, get up!"

"Why?"

"What if they open the--"

James was too late. The door flew open, hitting his friend in the face. "Oh, shit!"

"I tried to warn you," James said dismissively. "Who are you?" he inquired, looking at the slightly shorter man that had opened the door.

The man's eyes were black as coal and he wore a dark suit. He was frowning cruelly at the two of them in a way that suggested he had never smiled before. "Kearmar Leubner Willtrout, Wizengamot Administration Services, Floor 2," he answered coldly. "And you are?"

Sirius got to his feet frowning at Willtrout. He put his hand to his face where he had been hit, then looked at it inspectively.

"I'm--" James began, but he was cut off.

"We're Hit Wizards and that's all you need to know." Sirius glared at the suited man.

Willtrout smiled evilly. "Careful with that tongue of yours, Black. After all, I can be your best friend…" he looked at James curiously, then returned his gaze to Sirius, "or your worst enemy."

"What the hell?" Sirius muttered.

"Oh, I think you and Cornelius Fudge both know exactly what that means."

"Fudge is dead…," said James. "Stop speaking in riddles."

"Whatever," Sirius again cut in with a shrug. "Let's go in, James." He brushed by Willtrout in a hopefully offensive way.

Percy Weasley sat stiffly behind the Minister's desk; when the two of them entered he began shifting papers with his chest puffed out importantly. After a few moments he looked up from his desk, "startled" by his new visitors. "Oh! I didn't see you there! What would you like?"

"Cut the act, you little git," James answered harshly.

"We want to talk to you about our placement. We think some Aurors and Hit Wizards should be stationed at Hogwarts. There's word going around that Voldemort's,"-Percy flinched- "going to attack the school. If that's true, we need to defend it." Sirius laid three papers down on the desk each covered in signatures. "That's our petition; it's been signed by 100 Ministry officials."

Percy beamed. "That works out nicely. Mr. Willtrout just proposed that very thing."

"Him?" asked James in surprise, his glasses falling down his nose when he turned to look at the door where Willtrout had just been. "What does he care about the welfare of Hogwarts students?"

"If you would come to know him as I have, you would realize he has the best interests of the students at heart," replied the young, temporary new Minister of Magic. "You two of all people should understand that first impressions mean nothing, what with the company you keep."

Sirius glared at him infuriatedly. "Do you have a problem with my friends?" he breathed.

"Easy, Sirius; as long as he agrees with what we want." James grabbed his friend's shoulder.

"I guess you're right…. Then it's a deal." Sirius's angry gaze lingered on Percy for a moment and he left.

James looked after him, then back at the Minister. "You'll have to excuse him; he's having a bad day." He smiled and followed Sirius out the door.

Percy watched him leave with curiosity. He shrugged and continued organizing his desk.


	17. The Screeching Violin

**The Asterothain  
**  
Disclaimer: All of the Harry Potter stuff belongs to J.K. Rowling.

_The Screeching Violin  
_  
The students at the Slytherin table glowered at Bagel. "Why do they keep looking at me like that? I haven't said anything to them yet."

Ben grabbed a scone from the center of the table and began viciously tearing it apart. "They're Slytherins," he replied simply. It was the morning of September 2nd, the day after they had arrived.

"So?"

"Slytherins and Gryffindors have never gotten along. Well, not since Salazar Slytherin split off from the other three co-founders…. It's a long story," Ben added to counter Bagel's look.

"O…kay…." Two first-year girls walked behind him whispering and giggling furiously. He watched them after they passed. "First-years are weird."

"That's Michelle Ericson and Katie Matthews; they're Ravenclaws," Jesse responded.

Bagel continued to watch them as they took temporary seats by some Gryffindor boys. "Well, why do they have to titter like that?" He shuddered. "It's like a screeching violin playing next to my ear."

"They like someone. It could be one of us or it could be one of those boys down there."

"It was me," Ben said jokingly, sweeping back his hair. Jesse and Bagel laughed. "What? It could've been."

"Maybe," Bagel replied. "What's that guy doing?" he asked, his eyes averting to the Hufflepuff table where a boy was balancing a beach ball on his nose.

"That's Impression Pete. He does crazy stunts like that to impress girls. Needless to say, it doesn't work. Look at all the girls and their disgusted looks. It's kind of sad, but also really funny."

The two Ravenclaw girls walked back between the tables behind Bagel, giggling just as harmoniously as before. Bagel quivered again. "That noise!" he exclaimed when they were gone. "If I hear it again I'll go insane."

Jesse grinned. "It might be you they're after…. They could have returned to their seats by going around at that end of the table but instead they went the long way."

Bagel blinked at him as though the thought had never crossed his mind. He remained silent for a while.

"I think you shut him up, Jesse," Ben said teasingly.

A/N: So what d'you think? Review please!


	18. Imprisoned

**The Asterothain**

Disclaimer: All of the Harry Potter stuff belongs to J.K. Rowling.

A/N: First off, I'm sorry I'm dumping three chapters on you, but I wanted to get to my Christmas chapter up before Christmas so I've been writing like mad. It should be up next post.

Also, about the name Bagel. It all started when I told my sister that Sirius's son was going to be named Vega (which I hated but Orion was much too cliché). She thought I said Bagel and we both thought it was rather hilarious so I naturally had to find a way to fit it in. It was better than the girly name Vega and it provided a little bit of humor I thought. BTW, the name Kearmar Leubner Willtrout was a name in the phonebook along with several other names that will appear in the next few chapters. It sounded delightfully evil, and as Lady Taliesin pointed out, very German which added a nice, Hitler-ish touch. The name is also very unorthodox like many other wizarding names.

As for the "disbeliefment" that Anonymous revealed, I am still working on that… It was just set aside for the time being so that I could get to my Christmas chapter on time. But it has not been, and will not be, forgotten. Now, ON TO THE CHAPTER, LADIES AND GENTS!!!!

_Imprisoned_

"Hey, Black." Bagel turned only to see the golden hair shining in the sunlight that beamed through the window; Draco Malfoy.

"What do _you_ want?" he asked coolly.

"I just wanted to know…." Malfoy paused as he shuffled down the hall toward the thirteen-year-old boy, finally arriving. His height made clear his age superiority. "I wanted to know what it was like at Durmstrang. Was it great?"

"It was a hell-hole; happy?"

Malfoy frowned, making his usual scowl even worse. "What about the Dark Arts course?"

"Great; it was enough that I remember the damn school, but now you've reminded me of _that_." Bagel shifted his position in an aggravated way. "Anything else you'd like to ruin?"

"Pity. I thought you might be more like your father," Malfoy drawled.

"What d'you mean?"

The Slytherin smiled mischievously and pulled out a newspaper. The headline read: BLACK'S DONE IT AGAIN! Bagel snatched it from his hands.

Flashback: 12:20 a.m. the previous night

A loud knock at the door echoed throughout the Potter House waking its three inhabitants. Sirius, James, and Lily all met at the front door to open it. Outside waiting were the steely eyes of Willtrout. He was flanked by aurors and in his hand was a scroll of parchment. "Sirius Black, you are under arrest for the assassination of Cornelius Fudge."

"What?" asked James. "There's no way; he was sleeping here in his bed that night…."

Lily took a sharp breath. "No… James… he wasn't here…. Remember? He said he didn't remember where he was."

Willtrout grinned maliciously. "Gentlemen," he said to the aurors, "arrest him."

James leapt in front of Sirius who was frozen by the events before him. "No! You can't take him!"

One of the aurors shoved James aside and grabbed Sirius with such force that his body was compelled to awaken from its horrified slumber. Inside him his heart was shouting, "I'm innocent!" but his mind could only recall the one piece of evidence that killed that hopeful belief. He could only remember that night beyond the veil, the dream in which James's body laid dead at the fault of his own hands. Sirius reminded himself this was only a dream, that it couldn't be real because here was James, alive and trying desperately to help him. However his mind could no longer determine if this was reality or not; the pain of the dream was most certainly real.

James, still furious with Willtrout, held up his fight, but, in the end, it was all useless. Lily hugged him tightly, tears in her eyes.

"There will be a trial held next Wednesday," Willtrout said stiffly. "Until then he will be placed in Azkaban prison… the one place Fudge always thought he belonged."

Bagel looked at the paper with disbelief. "This is wrong…. He wouldn't do something like that…."

Malfoy laughed. "You can keep the paper so you can show people how proud you are of you schizo father." With that, Malfoy walked on, satisfied with his work.


	19. Bearer of Bad News

**The Asterothain**

Disclaimer: All of the Harry Potter stuff belongs to J.K. Rowling.

_Bearer of Bad News_

Bagel ran to the Gryffindor Common Room to find Harry. Harry wasn't the only one at school he could confide in; there were Ben and Jesse. But Harry was the only one who would know what to do. He hadn't known his father long, but he knew he couldn't believe this was true. It meant his mother was right about the notorious man Bagel had only just begun calling "Dad". It meant he would have to return to Adrienne. It meant good guys do finish last, as Adrienne had so frequently tried to convince him. Most of all, it meant that Sirius Black could no longer be emulated or trusted.

"Harry! Harry!" he shouted as he ran across the room, shoving the paper in Harry's face.

"Okay…" said Ron Weasley, who was standing nearby.

Harry took the Daily Prophet from Bagel, curiosity overwhelming his expression. He slowly skimmed the article as confusion turned to shock. Hermione and Ron read over his shoulder.

"It is true?" asked an exasperated Bagel.

"Well, Sirius wouldn't do something like that… but they must have some reason to believe it was him." Harry stood in disbelief. Was it true? He thought about what his father would say and came up with a definite no.

"Granted Snuffles never liked Fudge much," put in Ron. "But I suppose that's to be expected when a guy undeniably has it in for you. I don't like Malfoy. Or Snape. And Harry doesn't like You-Know-Who."

"Who? Voldemort?" asked Bagel, mainly to make Ron flinch. "Who does?"

"Maybe we should write to your parents?" suggested Hermione.

Ron smiled. "That still sounds weird to me."

"Tell me about it," Harry nodded.

Flashback: The Department of Mysteries, 12:28

"Why did you do it, Black?" interrogated Willtrout as he paced in front of the table.

"I didn't do it," Sirius answered bitterly for what must have been at least the fourteenth time.

Willtrout's body filled with angry energy and he leapt at the table Sirius sat at shouting, "Tell the truth!" His yellowed teeth showed through the wide frown he wore.

"_You_ tell me the truth!" yelled Sirius. "You seem to have a pretty good idea of what's happened here! All I know is that Fudge croaked and you think I killed him! I haven't seen any proof yet!"

"Proof? You want proof?" Willtrout opened the door, gesturing to someone outside to enter. It was Fudge's wife and daughter.

"Please, Mr. Willtrout," said Rhonda, "we don't want to talk to him; it's too painful. Just send him on to Azkaban."

"So you agree…. This is the man that killed your husband?"

"We've been through this, Kearmar; just send him away." The girl next to Rhonda, Ardine, who was ten, watched Sirius with tearful eyes.

"Why did you do it, Black?" asked Willtrout again, a glittering evil smile dancing on his face.

"I didn't do it! I'm innocent!"

Ardine watched their expressions carefully. "He's telling the truth, Mother. It wasn't him. It was Mr. Willtrout."

"What?" Rhonda pulled her daughter closer. "Why do you think that?"

"He doesn't smile the same way that man did; Willtrout does," answered the girl simply.

A wave of gratitude washed over Sirius. Someone believed him! But Mrs. Fudge was still skeptical and Willtrout had stopped his now very curious smile.

"You're tired, Honey. It's been a long day; let's go home." Rhonda stepped out of the office, Ardine following closely behind. But before the child left, she took one last look at Willtrout, scanning him for any further evidence she could find against him.

Sirius's luck was gone, just like that. No one else would believe him. He would have to count on his family, friends, and that little girl's heart. God bless the heart of a child.


	20. Meanwhile in Romania

**The Asterothain**

Disclaimer: All of the Harry Potter stuff belongs to J.K. Rowling.

_Meanwhile in Romania_

Elijah Allegris carried two buckets of bloody elk meat to the dragon pin where Artemis Adderley had already begun feeding the Norwegian Ridgeback. He sat them down and began tossing in the slimy meat as well. "Hiya, 'lijah!" greeted Artemis in his usual cheery voice. Adderley wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed but he still made a fair companion.

"Hello, Artemis," Elijah responded.

"Yeh should 'ave seen it this mornin'! The Romanyan Long'orns started matin'! The one I call Jeff had 'is li'l claws in Maria!"

"Oh…" Elijah searched for something kind to say. "Sorry I missed that!" he lied.

"Yeh would've liked it. 'Er eyes started poppin' out. Quite a thing, dragon love…"

Suddenly, Elijah wasn't so certain Artemis was exactly good for humanity. He took a few steps away.

"Well, yeh can' hear me over there!" cried Adderley.

Elijah began to respond but before he could, something moist and cold hit him in the back of the head. He whirled around to see who or what had thrown it and saw Charlie Weasley advancing toward him. He, too, carried a bucket of elk meat, which Elijah realized was what had hit him in the back of the head.

"Finally," Charlie said, "I've called you five times; I thought you'd hear me."

"I couldn't," whispered Elijah, "…_Adderley_…"

"Oh." Charlie gave a nod of understanding. "Well, I wanted you to come meet some friends of mine."

"Friends of a friend…. I dunno, Charlie, I'm not too good with meeting other people. I'm bad with names, my first impressions are always horrible, and no one really cares for my personality here."

"But this is important…." Charlie led him away to a khaki tent Elijah had never noticed before. The two friends stepped inside where Elijah found an Engorged area with fourteen people from several different cultures were studying piles of information at various tables that lined the tent walls.

"Hey! Attention, everybody!" shouted Charlie. "All right… Guys, this is Elijah Allegris. He's a new guy around here but an old friend of mine. I think he'll fit in great with us." Charlie turned his attention to Elijah. "This is the International Order of the Phoenix. We're against Voldemort and we're here to stop out-of-England Death Eater activity all over the world. We have people regulating International travel, trade and communication. We have people spying on Death Eater hot spots. We even have double-agents that are sabotaging Voldemort's confederation from the inside. We're the second line of defense against that evil bastard."

"And you want me to join?" Elijah asked, flattered but not certain he could do the job.

"If you'd like to," replied Charlie as an Indian-looking man walked up behind him.

"Hey, Charlie, we've got a definite hot spot up north. Things are about to start happening at Durmstrang and the Order members up there are going to need some back up."

"Ok, I'll get someone on it A.S.A.P., Rajaram." Charlie began to dismiss him, but Rajaram touched his shoulder to keep his attention.

"But there is no one else that can go there…. I wanted to know if you could," Rajaram said seriously.

"No one else will go? What about Keisha Lyons? Or Lyke Naulls? Dovie O'Ammons? Dionicio Arbizu or Delmar Brooks?"

"They're all either doing something already or can't be trusted, especially not with a task so important. Keisha, Lyke, and Dionicio have all been tagged as Potential Traitors. We have no one else that isn't busy… except you."

"All right," Charlie said, grabbing a coat that sat on one of the tables, "I'll get ready."

"I'll go with you," said Elijah quickly.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I won't let you go alone. I've heard things about that school… It's dangerous…." Elijah gave a friendly smile.

"Come on then, let's get our things together and go."

A/N: Please Review!!!


	21. Sing We Now of Christmas

**The Asterothain**

Disclaimer: All of the Harry Potter stuff belongs to J.K. Rowling.

A/N: Okay, Christmas Chapter! Sorry if you don't celebrate Christmas everybody! I came very close to missing my deadline of Christmas but it's Christmas Eve so I made it! Sorry about the last few chapters. I agree they were kind of sucky but I was in a rush to spread Christmas cheer. That's what happened. Anyway, this chapter might sound a little ultra-impromptu, but I left my spiral at school over Christmas break so I didn't pre-write it. It's kind of spontaneous but I hope you like it because Christmas is my favorite time of year. Except for the cold part, it doesn't snow much here so it's just cold, no beauty, just cold. Blech. Sometimes the pine trees get ice on them and that looks pretty but that's about it. White New Years, White Valentine's Day, but no White Christmas….

_Sing We Now of Christmas_

Harry dragged his trunk into the warmth of the Potter House where he was sure his frozen red hands would become flesh again. The snow was falling outside and Bagel and Ben were running and laughing in it, sure to catch a cold. It had been a gloomy semester with news of Sirius being taken back to Azkaban. It wasn't fair, they had just gotten him back and for once since Harry had received his scar, he had been able to show his face in public. No one in the Order could believe it. Harry had been wondering since then who had actually murdered Fudge; it couldn't have been Sirius. Even if he had a motive, he wouldn't have done it in fear of going back to prison.

At least now it wouldn't be that bad; all of the Dementors were gone with Voldemort. No one knew where they were staying, but there had been several attacks by them in the last year and a half. People had been getting kissed, or just driven crazy. St. Mungo's was putting forth record service but even they were at the end of their nerves.

Then there were the attacks made by the Death Eaters and even Voldemort himself. Voldemort's were the more rare, naturally, because he wanted to be as inconspicuous as possible in this time of high security. But the Death Eaters definitely found their way around England and the rest of Europe, killing off anyone that stood in their way. They were determined to finish whatever their beloved master bid them to do.

Life had become horrible. Even Christmas was going to be under a tight watch. It would be the perfect time for Voldemort to attack because everyone would be together for the holiday. The Death Eaters would have killing carnivals; massacres would be everywhere, Harry was sure.

However, nothing can beat the good Christmas Spirit off which everyone was operating. Even after all that was happening and all that could happen in the future or the present, people were still finding time to make a Merry Christmas. People were baking turkeys, stuffing geese and ducks, making dinner rolls, setting out candles and Christmas lights, decorating trees, and wrapping presents. Children were lying in bed thinking of Santa Claus and of the gifts they would receive and everyone was outside at sometime or another enjoying the snow. It was, above all, the triumphant atmosphere that helped along the Spirit. Europe was certain they were on the winning side with Voldemort and their pride burst forth with astounding magnificence.

Inside the Potter House there was nothing but Christmas Cheer. Bows and tinsel decorated the stairs and a gigantic tree sat in the center of the living room with a golden star rested on its peak and red and green ornaments hung from its dazzling boughs. The doors to the kitchen were open and inside the table was set and Lily could be heard bustling around to cook their dinner. James walked in behind Harry and stood and smiled at the glory his house was decorated with. Bagel and Ben entered with snow covering their heads and coats, red cheeks, and mischievous grins on their faces.

"Like it, Harry?" James asked.

"How could I not?" replied Harry.

"How long did it take you to 'deck the halls'?" asked Bagel.

"Oh, about a day. It wasn't that it was hard, it was just that I got trapped in the tree."

Ben snickered. "Your dad's a twit, Harry," he whispered. Harry laughed as Lily left the kitchen to join them.

"Well, guys, welcome home; happy Christmas!" said Lily.

"You can hardly call it happy with Dad gone…" replied Bagel dismally.

"I know," answered James, "but it is Christmas and we should at least try to have a good time. That's what he would want. Sirius would never want us to be sad because of him."

"I wonder what he's doing right now…" Harry speculated aloud.

Flashback: December 24, 1982 at Grimmauld Place

It was the annual Christmas Eve Ball that Sirius's parents held every year, though with all of the terrible, hateful, Pureblood maniacs hanging around, it could hardly feel like the wonderful holiday it was. Every year his parents invited all of their friends and family to their house for something of a party and with all of the beautifully decorated gowns and dress robes you would have thought it to be a joyous celebration. Around these people, the Blacks and their family were kings, queens, lords, ladies, princes, princesses, dukes, and duchesses. This, of course, was one of the very things Sirius found wrong about the whole thing.

But he attended each year for the simple ecstasy of the refreshment table which was filled with snacks and sweets from cupcakes to those tiny round things he was sure were snails. Whatever they were they were fun to put in people's drinks when they weren't looking. So, with his love of food, he usually hovered around the table, sipping punch every now and then and sneaking some kind of havoc into the food. That, after all, was the delight of the night.

It was on such an occasion where he was placing a snail into the spinach dip that he was caught by the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, finding himself praying she wasn't like the other people there. She was short with wavy red hair that set her face aglow and blue eyes that danced on her pale skin. Dressed in a flowing white dress that definitely did not assimilate well with the familiar dark theme of the night. This was the one sign he had that she didn't believe all of the nonsense that the others did.

"Um… what are you doing with the dip?" she asked delicately.

Sirius made an curious noise that made his face the color of her hair. "I don't know for sure, but I think I'm sabotaging it," he answered in a mildly casual way that made her smile. His hands wouldn't stop what they were doing so he decided he would have to work with it.

"Oh… may I ask why?"

Finally he was finished. He grabbed a napkin and wiped off his hands. "I'm am the Senior Mayhem-maker here and I'm making sure that everyone has a wonderfully slimy night, I hope." That was stupid, he thought. Say something cool! Maybe it can still be saved! "Just kidding; I hate these parties so I'm trying to destroy it. I'm Sirius, by the way, Sirius Black."

"I'm Natalie Feldspar… so… why don't you like this? You get treated like a prince."

"That's why. Why should I be treated different from anyone else? Purebloods are no different from everybody else. But I have to come here, right? It's my house. I'm just glad the refreshments are here to console me. I get to sit here and eat and watch everyone make idiots of themselves because they think they're so much better. It's really a lot of fun; you should try it sometime." Sirius sat down in a nearby chair hoping that maybe his charm would come back soon. She just had to catch him in the prank. That's no way to meet a girl! The good news was that she didn't seem taken aback by anything he had just said.

"I agree. I only like it because I can dress up so nicely. If I could do this any other way I would. It's just that my parents are so into this whole Pureblood thing and so I'm caught up in it too." Natalie pulled up another chair and sat down next to him.

"You look great, by the way," Sirius responded. Yes!, he thought, it's back!

"So, you're a Gryffindor right? I'm in Ravenclaw."

"Yeah, Mum and Dad were so angry when I wasn't sorted into Slytherin. They went zonkers and grounded me for the whole summer."

Natalie laughed. "Mine did too. Wow."

"What?" Sirius asked looking back at her.

"Nothing… We really have a lot in common," Natalie added examining his eyes.

Sirius sat in the cold cell on the hard slab that was his bed until he found a way out of Azkaban again. He was tired and he missed everyone. He couldn't feel his feet or his hands or even his nose because of the December cold. But he had one hope: an officer (they had to have officers now because of the loss of the Dementors) had told him that someone planned to visit him tomorrow. Sirius had no idea who it was but he hoped whoever it was could help him.


	22. Rescuing an Old Friend

**The Asterothain**

Disclaimer: All of the Harry Potter stuff belongs to J.K. Rowling.

A/N: I had a major writing overload the last few weeks and I wrote about three chapters, one of which is this one. Another will be after this one but I am still nowhere near done with this even though I am forming a sequel in my mind. The other will be a newly entered chapter right before Sing We Now of Christmas called Omnipotent and will soon follow these. More chapters might be added into previously written stuff because (though I did have a self-made deadline at Christmas) the holidays came much too quickly in this fic. So look for changes because they will be coming and I promise a much stronger plot for the sequel. Speaking of which, check out Godric's Hollow and The Wrath of the King also because they have changed a tad to seem stronger and more realistic.

_Rescuing an Old Friend_

"I can't _take_ it anymore, Remus!" James shouted.

"I know, James, but we can't just barge into Azkaban and snatch him," replied Remus calmly. He was over to talk to James and update Dumbledore and himself on Order happenings and plans.

"Why not? Sirius would do it for either of us!" James was irritated by Remus's unwillingness to rescue their friend.

"I know he would, but, James, what if the Ministry is right? What if he really did kill Fudge? The only thing we know for sure is that Fudge's family saw him there. He says he doesn't remember where he was that night," Remus reasoned. "We should investigate before we do anything."

"Sirius wouldn't murder anyone, even Fudge."

"What about Peter?" Remus replied pointedly.

James had heard the story and knew this point was undefeatable. Sirius would have killed Peter without a doubt. But Peter was different. Peter was… personal. Peter was most likely the only person Sirius had ever wanted to murder…. It was nutty, but James even thought of it somewhat of a compliment. He knew his death wasn't the only reason Sirius was angry though; Peter was a symbol of the biggest mistake Sirius had ever made. "Remus, I'm going no matter what you say; in the end, it's the right thing to do. Are you coming with me?"

Remus sighed heavily. "I suppose you'll need some help."

Sirius layed on the hard floor for a change in position but was forced to rise again at the announcement of his visitor's arrival. He saw a woman clothed in flattering purple robes coming his way with the guard. Her red hair flowed behind her with angelic beauty and as she came closer her radiant blue eyes became strongly evident. But her looks were only one key to the mystery that was her name. Her voice was the other.

"Black, you incompetent bastard! I can't believe you stood me up when we were twenty!"

"Natalie? Natalie Feldspar?"

"Don't you 'Natalie' me!" she shouted. "You left me standing at the altar and I swore if I ever found you again I would give you a piece of my mind!"

"Altar? I never even went to the church with you…"

She slapped him across the face. "EXACTLY! YOU _NEVER_ SHOWED UP!" Natalie turned to the guard. "Do you_ mind_!"

The guard seemed shocked but obediently turned and left. As soon as he was out of earshot, Natalie returned to her normal voice. "Sorry about slapping you; I wanted to get rid of that guy. You remember me?" She blushed.

"Of course I do!" Sirius answered. Then in synchronized voices they said, "I think about you all the time," amazing the both of them.

"Where did you go? You left Hogwarts only a couple of weeks after I met you."

Natalie smiled. "My parents moved me to Durmstrang to get 'a proper education'. I've been there ever since, teaching. I visited a friend of mine here in England and happened to hear about you being locked up here. I wanted to help."

"Help?"

"Help you escape. I have a plan," Natalie said, her eyes glittering at the long-desired sight of Sirius.

"Natalie, I don't want to put you in danger… Besides, I've escaped once, I can do it again," smirked Sirius.

"Do you want to get slapped again?" she joked.

"Bit assertive aren't you…"

"I get it from my mother. So, here's the plan…" She began to whisper to him what she had come up with and the two of them traded ideas until their plan was practically flawless. When she was ready to leave, Natalie stormed out and upon seeing the guard gave a flustered sigh, shouting, "Men!"

At around ten o'clock later that night, Natalie prepared two brooms for an easy get away and took a dish of brownies back into the prison where several guards lounged around with nothing to do but talk. "Hello, boys," she said sweetly. "This afternoon when I visited, I couldn't help but notice that you guys looked a little lonely and hungry; so I brought up some home-made brownies for you to enjoy. They're made with a lot of love. I hope you'll all have one; I get depressed when my cooking's been insulted."

The men leapt at the opportunity, not only for the free food but for the girl who had prepared it. They all seemed to take one at once and scarf it down immediately. Natalie grinned as they all realized what was in them. Every guard collapsed to the floor at the power of the sleeping draught.

"Every girl knows that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach," she said, grabbing the keys from one of their belts. She ran to Sirius's cell and tried all the keys until she found the right one. Within minutes the bars opened. Sirius was free, now all that was left was the great escape. Other guards had heard the slam of the cell door and were hurrying to find out what was going on.

Sirius and Natalie rushed out of the prison as fast as they could, racing to escape the lies Sirius was imprisoned for. They jumped over the sleeping guards in the entrance and flung themselves out the door, hopping on the brooms she had laid out and flew to Natalie's friend's home in Newville.

James peered through a few bushes into the window they had been told was Sirius's cell. "Remus, there's no one in there…"

Remus pulled his robes from the thorns they were caught on. "Are you sure? Maybe he's lying on the floor? I know this is the cell the guard told me…. This idea is insane anyway."

A light from the distance shone on their faces and the Azkaban official ordered them to halt. As the light came closer, they knew they were caught. "Trying to release your friend?" asked the guard. "You're too late. He's already left. Apparently someone else had the same idea as you."

"Well, then," said James with a charming laugh, "I guess there's no reason for you to convict us."

"Because you're really having a rough life, I suppose I could look the other way…" the guard replied.


	23. Morning Talks

**The Asterothain **

Disclaimer: All of the Harry Potter stuff belongs to J.K. Rowling.

_Morning Talks _

The sunlight shining through the window flickered as a bird fluttered into a tree nearby. Sirius was asleep on Sandee Gipson's couch with Natalie's arms wrapped around him. They had gotten in at four that morning and still hadn't awakened. But now it was fifteen minutes past noon and Sirius's eyes opened on Natalie's sleeping face. He smiled; he had missed her for the longest time. In the end he had just settled for Adrienne. Obviously that was a mistake. Adrienne divorced him when he was sent to Azkaban. Natalie learned he was there and risked her reputation to rescue him. Sent to him at Christmas long, long ago, she was his angel, and his saviour. Just when he had lost all hope, she was there to remind him that when all faith was gone love would always reside.

Natalie's delicate eyelids trembled and then were open. "Hi," she whispered.

"Hi," he answered. "Where exactly are we? You were too tired to tell me last night."

"We're at my friend Sandee's house. She thinks your name is Michael Hawthorne."

"Nice name," Sirius said as Sandee walked in twisting the back of her earring.

"All right, I have to go to work now, Nats, but I'll be back soon. There are biscuits on the table if you want some. By the way, I'm sure your friend Michael is very respectable but please tell him to take a bath before he sleeps on my couch next time," said Sandee as she gathered her things.

"Oh, well, Sandee, we might not be here when you come back," Natalie replied.

"Where will you be?"

"I have a job interview at the ministry to become a diplomat for Bulgaria. Because I have ties with Durmstrang and all. Michael's going with me."

Sandee grinned. "I wouldn't have taken you for a politician, Nats. Well, good luck with that then and bye." Sandee shut the door with a loud bang and with that she was gone.

"Nats!" Sirius exclaimed as he tried to hold back his fits of laughter. "Is that what they're calling you these days?"

"Oh, shutup..."

"So where are we really going?" he asked curiously.

"Well, first of all, even if we didn't have anywhere to go, we'd have to leave. Sandee's a moron ("No joke," commented Sirius) but eventually she'd find out who you are. But I need your help. The Dark Lord is more powerful than ever at Durmstrang. He's taking over. He sits and watches everything the students and teachers do. He won't let us communicate with anyone outside the school unless they are working for him. So I need your help to free us. I don't know how we'll do it quite yet, but I'm sure we can come up with something." She raised herself off the couch and sat in a nearby chair.

"So, we're going by Hammurabi's Code," Sirius reiterated to show he understood. "You help me, I help you. I can do that. We can go somewhere nearby the school and form a plan. When should we leave?"

"After breakfast. Thanks, so much for this... It's all I could have asked for, having you back."

"And I'm glad I have you. After you moved away, all I had was Adrienne Scott. I eventually gave up hope. I married her, but she was never faithful. She divorced me and soon after we had a child, Bagel. Life's been horrid ever since." Sirius frowned thinking about the past.

"That's awful. I don't think my luck's been nearly as bad as yours. I mean other than my involuntary connection with Voldemort."

They talked the morning away, the two of them. They spoke of their past loves, the way their lives had turned out and all they had hoped for which had not come. They were finally together. It was like they were two spirits, entwined in a past life for a brief time, but quickly pulled apart.


End file.
